Cheltenham Little League’s Ron Camp Columbus Day Golf Outing held at Limekiln Golf Club was a huge success, as 147 competitors played under brilliant sunshine to benefit CLL and the community.

Celebrating its 20th annual event, the outing raised a significant amount of funds for the organization, as all proceeds, from the raffles to the silent auction and golf contests assist the League.

None of this could have been made possible without the tremendous support from our sponsors. The Financial Group of Philadelphia, led by Paul Bufty and our own Bruce Rangnow, were our event supporters. In addition, our food sponsors, Lindinger’s Catering, EZ Storage and FINN HVAC, were instrumental in making this event the most successful in CLL history.

“First of all you couldn’t have asked for a nicer day,” said Timothy Durney, owner of Timmy D’s Deli & Catering. “This was my first outing with Cheltenham and I want you to know that your staff was very professional and very courteous to all participants. I thought it was well organized and put together perfectly. As a sponsor and player, I can’t wait until next year to participate again.”

Premier Group Insurance, under the direction of Len Garza and senior sales associate Gene Mattia, provided the goodie bags that were distributed to each player, complete with a sleeve of balls donated by Comcast Business, sandwich coupons from Mission BBQ and other certificates from local vendors. In addition, all players and volunteers received a commemorative 20th anniversary glass.

Once again, all 27 holes were utilized, as players competed for bragging rights, not to mention trophies, and ate and drank like Kings and Queens. The course was again in magnificent condition and the staff at Limekiln was extremely helpful and organized.

The low score turned in was a 12-under-par 58 by two groups and after a match of cards, the winning team, which gets their names engraved on the trophy, was: Ed Lloyd, Chuck Prendergast, Tom Prendergast and Jay Walker. The group of Jim O’Brien, Sean O’Brien, Dave Schmidt and Bill Cormier placed second.

“It was an absolutely awesome golf outing,” said Ann Macchione, CLL Board Member and golf enthusiast. “Very organized, great gifts, great food, great atmosphere, and the calling of tables and ticket winners were more prompt than ever before. Excellent job!”

What makes this event so special is that all competitors are winners, as each player is allowed to pick a gift from the prize table. This year’s goodies included shirts, balls, gloves, clubs, umbrellas, hats, books and gift certificates from Dick’s, Modell’s, Sports Authority, Luigi’s II and the Drake.

None of this could have been accomplished without the tireless efforts of our golf committee and board members, spearheaded by Ron Camp, Phil Sokol, Tim Hassall, Matt Mundy, Mark Cherwony, Mike Cornelison and President, Irv Brockington.

In addition, our volunteers – Kim Aspenleider, Janet Sokol, David Paik, Doug Karan, Kelly Durand, Weymouth Lewis, Dave Ernay and Chris Reichert, along with the invaluable support from the Semper Fi group of Paul Corbett, Greg Strup, Dave McCarron and Don Campanile, provided a critical element to the success of the event.

“The outing was great, as always,” mentioned Matt Stefan, the regional marketing supervisor from Modell’s. “My foursome really enjoyed themselves and you could not ask for a nicer day. As far as prizes go, CLL always has the best assortment in the area. From giveaways for everyone, to the silent auctions (I thought I still had the winning bid for the Willie Mays ball!), it really is a great showing. I also think the purchase options (bundle, pot of gold, move up, mulligans, etc.) are well thought out. Multiple selections at a good price point make people more inclined to participate.”

As was the case last year, pictures were taken of each group. JC Campoli Photography, the long-time partner of Cheltenham Little League, donated its time and effort to make sure all groups received a framed portrait.

This year, we added a few new wrinkles to the event, as each player had the opportunity of moving up 100 yards on each par-5 for a mere $5 per person to help lower their score. Also, a ticket raffle (Chinese Auction) was included with prizes such as a one-night stay at the Sheraton Society Hill, foursomes at local golf clubs and a wooden putter to name a few. Our two raffle prizes went to Mike Cornelison, who won the Walt Disney World Park Hoppers and Dave Dudo, captured the TaylorMade Driver.

A special shout out goes to our print sponsor, the Alcom Print Group for donating their time and services in printing our program. For a complete listing of all of our great sponsors, please stop by the clubhouse at Cheltenham Little League for a program.

Planning has already begun on number 21, as this group will not rest on its laurels. Mark the date down for Columbus Day 2016, October 10. Hope to see you there.